1. Area of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of petrochemical pipelines and, in particular, to the field of electronic detection and monitoring of corrosion in petrochemical pipelines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pipelines in petrochemical industries are often susceptible to damage caused by excessive corrosion. The life expectancy of a pipe before failure mostly depends on the chemical and physical properties of transported gaseous or liquid media, the environmental condition surrounding the pipe and a suitable cathodic protection (CP) system which prevents anodic behavior leading to metal loss. In some cases, only certain locations of pipes are exposed to considerable corrosion. If such corrosion in pipes is not detected and monitored, it can lead to damage, failure, and spills, which can result in undesirable consequences including monetary loss, safety hazards, and environmental damage. Accordingly, regular on-stream inspection (OSI) of pipes is an essential risk management procedure.
Corrosion, such as pitting in the interior walls of ferrous pipeline, is likely to occur at isolated so-called “critical” areas or locations of the pipe. At times, critical locations are difficult to reach for the purpose of OSI. Scaffolding or excavation operations, for example, are usually required to access the critical areas of the pipe. To perform such operations on a regular basis is often impractical and expensive and requires large-scale movement of equipment and personnel.
Solutions for remote monitoring of critical areas of pipeline is known in the art, for example, using electronic monitors on the outer surface of a pipe. However, such solutions exhibit one or more disadvantages, including: (i) lacking the structural rigidity to allow targeting isolated locations on a pipeline to obtain consistent measurement with high precision, (ii) being unable to accommodate larger and more accurate ultrasonic transducers or the addition of a delay line, (iii) being unable to withstand environmental factors such as high temperature pipeline surfaces, erosion by wind or sand, or corrosion of the transducer or clamp equipment, and (iv) lacking the adjustability to readily accommodate for mounting on divergent pipe sizes or flat surfaces.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a high-precision corrosion monitoring assembly capable of mounting highly accurate electronic monitoring equipment on remote pipe locations and having the structural rigidity sufficient to obtain consistent measurements at precise locations on a pipeline. There is also a need in the art for a high-precision corrosion monitoring assembly having a structure and material properties to withstand environmental factors for permanent installation. There is also a need in the art for such an assembly capable of providing such rigidity, such structure, and such material properties while also accommodating larger, more accurate transducers and a delay line. There is also a need in the art for a high-precision corrosion monitoring assembly having both rigidity and adjustability allowing the assembly to be readily deployed on any of divergent pipe sizes or flat surfaces that can be found in a facility.